Manufacturing equipment that automatically delivers fasteners to a workpiece, or a fastening device, is typically employed in high rate production environments. The equipment generally comprises a storage device for the fasteners and a mechanism or system that transports fasteners from the storage device to the workpiece or fastening device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,554 to Jones, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, discloses a device for delivering fasteners to a workpiece comprising a suction head that removes fasteners from a storage area and delivers the fasteners through a delivery tube using a vacuum. The fasteners are individually stored in holes of a predetermined or fixed depth, and only one fastener may be stored in any given hole. Accordingly, each hole contains a fastener of a specific configuration, diameter, and grip length. Moreover, the device of Jones is incorporated in a relatively large assembly system that is permanently installed at a fixed location within a production facility.
In the production assembly of aircraft, the majority of substructure such as fuselage frames and longerons, along with wing spars and ribs, are joined to the skin of the aircraft with thousands of fasteners. Further, a plurality of fastener types, along with variations in diameters and grip lengths, are typically used in an aircraft assembly or subassembly. Generally, a fastener “grip length” refers to the cumulative thickness of the parts that the fastener holds together. Moreover, a majority of the substructure parts are manually assembled rather than by using automated fastening equipment.
During manual assembly operations, an operator must first determine the appropriate fastener type and diameter from a blueprint or other manufacturing work instruction delivery system. Due to manufacturing variations in individual part fabrication and assembly positioning variations, the proper grip length of the fastener is often determined by manually measuring hole depths. Once the proper fastener configuration is determined, the fastener stock must then be located and selected from fastener bins, which are typically stored at a common location near the work station. A limited number of fasteners are then moved by hand from the fastener bins to the work station and are generally staged within the reach of an operator. If permitted by the work environment, several fasteners are stored in a pouch that is secured around the waist of an operator. Accordingly, the operator sorts through the fasteners to select the proper configuration and inserts the fastener directly into a hole through the parts or inserts the fastener into an installation tool that installs the fastener through the parts.
As a result, a significant amount of time is spent by an operator determining the proper fastener configuration, locating the fastener within a storage bin, and transporting the fastener to the work station for installation. Thus making manual fastener installation very time consuming. Therefore, it is desirable to have a fastener system which portable and automated.
One portable device has been developed by the applicant in U.S. Patent Application titled “Portable Automatic Fastener Delivery System,” Ser. No. 09/931,501 filed Aug. 16, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The portable device delivers a plurality of different fastener types and sizes on request to an operator, and the operator then manually orients the fastener properly and inserts the fastener into a workpiece for subsequent installation.
Accordingly, a need remains in the art for a device that catches fasteners from an automatic fastener delivery system and that properly orients the fasteners for installation into a workpiece. A further need exists for such a device that inserts the fasteners into the workpiece for subsequent installation.